Deaths: August 24
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- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Robin Leach was born on 29 August 1941 in London, England, UK. He was an actor and producer, known for The Ridiculous 6 (2015), I.M. Caravaggio (2010) and Sledge Hammer! (1986). He was married to Judith Desser. He died on 24 August 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.- Producer
- Director
- Actor
Although he never went beyond secondary school, Aaron Russo became a millionaire in show business. Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1943, he worked in his family's business and later managed the Chicago nightclub, the Kinetic Playground, from 1968 to 1973 (with a long hiatus due to a fire). There he booked The Doors, The Who, The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and other popular bands of the day. For a while, Russo managed the careers of The Manhattan Transfer and Bette Midler. In 1979, he produced "The Rose" which gave Midler her first starring role. After producing a string of films and directing "Rude Awakening." Russo turned to blending politics with entertainment. He tried to sell a pilot for a television show called "Aaron Russo's Mad As Hell" in the early 1990s. When he was unsuccessful in selling the program to networks, he began selling the pilot as a video in 1996. In 1994 he tried to start a political party called the Constitution Party. In 1998, however, he ran for the Republican party nomination for governor of the state of Nevada but lost. In 2004, he ran for the Libertarian party's nomination for president, losing 423 to 344 on the third ballot.He nevertheless offered to produce the winning candidate's campaign ads. His final film was a documentary that he produced, wrote and directed, entitled "America: Freedom to Fascism" (2006). He died from bladder cancer in Los Angeles, California in 2007.- Producer
- Additional Crew
Andre Blay was born on 27 July 1937 in Mount Clemens, Michigan, USA. He was a producer, known for They Live (1988), The Blob (1988) and Village of the Damned (1995). He was married to Nancy Fleming. He died on 24 August 2018 in Bonita Springs, Florida, USA.- Additional Crew
- Writer
- Producer
Andrew Horn was born on 16 September 1952. He was a writer and producer, known for The Nomi Song (2004), Doomed Love (1984) and The Big Blue (1988). He died on 24 August 2019 in Berlin, Germany.- Ann Richards was born on 13 December 1917 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. She was an actress, known for Sorry, Wrong Number (1948), Love from a Stranger (1947) and Love Letters (1945). She was married to Paul Kramer and Edmond Angelo. She died on 24 August 2006 in Torrance, California, USA.
- Antonio Pennarella was born on 27 May 1960 in Naples, Campania, Italy. He was an actor, known for Luna rossa (2001), Piazza Fontana: The Italian Conspiracy (2012) and Capri (2006). He died on 23 August 2018 in Naples, Campania, Italy.
- Blanca Fernández Ochoa was born on 21 April 1963 in Madrid, Spain. She was married to Daniel Fioretto and David Fresneda. She died in September 2019 in La Peñota, Segovia, Spain.
- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
Chango Farías Gómez was born on 19 December 1937 in San Telmo, Capital Federal, Argentina. He was an actor and composer, known for Reflexiones de un salvaje (1978), Con el alma (1995) and Después del último tren (1989). He died on 24 August 2011 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
With over 150 Film and TV appearances to his credit, E. G. Marshall was arguably most well known as the imperturbable Juror No. 4 in the Sidney Lumet legal drama 12 Angry Men (1957).
Some of his stand-out performances are in Creepshow (1982), National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989), and Nixon (1995).
Marshall married three times and had seven children.- Earl Jolly Brown was born on 18 October 1939 in Houston, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for Live and Let Die (1973), Black Belt Jones (1974) and Linda Lovelace for President (1975). He died on 24 August 2006 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
- Producer
- Actor
Frank DiLeo was born on 23 October 1947 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. He was a producer and actor, known for Goodfellas (1990), Moonwalker (1988) and Wayne's World 2 (1993). He was married to Linda DiLeo. He died on 24 August 2011 in North Lima, Ohio, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
The stocky-framed, lookalike son of singing legend Bing Crosby who had that same bemused, forlorn look, fair hair and jug ears, Gary was the eldest of four sons born to the crooner and his first wife singer/actress Dixie Lee. The boys' childhood was an intensely troubled one with all four trying to follow in their father's incredibly large footsteps as singers and actors. As youngsters, they briefly appeared with Bing as themselves in Star Spangled Rhythm (1942) and Duffy's Tavern (1945). Gary proved to be the most successful of the four, albeit a minor one. As a teen, he sang duet on two songs with his famous dad, "Sam's Song" and "Play a Simple Melody," which became the first double-sided gold record in history. He and his brothers also formed their own harmonic singing group "The Crosby Boys" in subsequent years but their success was fleeting. Somewhere in the middle of all this Gary managed to attend Stanford University, but eventually dropped out.
Gary concentrated a solo acting career in the late 50s and appeared pleasantly, if unobtrusively, in such breezy, lightweight fare as Mardi Gras (1958), Holiday for Lovers (1959), A Private's Affair (1959), Battle at Bloody Beach (1961) (perhaps his best role), Operation Bikini (1963), and Girl Happy (1965) with Elvis Presley. Making little leeway, he turned to TV series work. The Bill Dana Show (1963) and Adam-12 (1968) as Officer Ed Wells kept him occasionally busy in the 60s and early 70s, also guesting on such shows as The Twilight Zone (1959) and Matlock (1986). Getting only so far as a modestly-talented Crosby son, Gary's erratic career was hampered in large part by a long-standing alcohol problem that began in his teens. In 1983, Gary published a "Daddy Dearest" autobiography entitled "Going My Own Way," an exacting account of the severe physical and emotional abuse he and his brothers experienced at the hands of his overly stern and distant father, who had died back in 1977. Mother Dixie, an alcoholic and recluse, died long before of ovarian cancer in 1952. All four boys went on to have lifelong problems with the bottle, with Gary hitting bottom several times. The tell-all book estranged Gary from the rest of his immediate family and did nothing to rejuvenate his stalled career. Two of his brothers, Dennis Crosby and Lindsay Crosby, later committed suicide. Gary was divorced from his third wife and was about to marry a fourth when he learned he had lung cancer. He died on August 24, 1995, two months after the diagnosis.- Getúlio Vargas, nicknamed "the father of the poor", was a Brazilian president, lawyer, politician, and dictator who served as the 14th and 17th president of Brazil. Vargas rose to power in 1930 under a provisional presidency, remaining until 1934 where he was elected under a 1934 Constitution. Three years later, Vargas would seize powers under the context of a potential communist revolution, beginning an 8-year long dictatorship with Vargas at its center. Though he was ousted in 1945 after fifteen years of being president, he returned in 1951 after being elected by the people.
- Gregory Rozakis was born on 30 January 1943 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for America America (1963), Death Wish (1974) and The Cotton Club (1984). He died on 24 August 1989 in Brooklyn, New York, USA.
- Production Manager
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Howard Lipstone was born on 28 April 1928 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was a production manager and producer, known for Jaws 3-D (1983), Porky's II: The Next Day (1983) and The White Lions (1981). He was married to Jane Lipstone. He died on 24 August 2015 in Westwood, California, USA.- Producer
- Editor
- Visual Effects
J.D. Disalvatore was born on 5 March 1966 in Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA. She was a producer and editor, known for Dante's Peak (1997), Gay Propaganda (2002) and Shelter (2007). She died on 24 August 2017 in Sherman Oaks, California, USA.- Actress
- Soundtrack
As a baby, she was winning beauty contests; as a teenager, with good looks and an attractive contralto voice, she was singing with big bands (most notably Enric Madriguera's orchestra in Latin Club Del Rio in Washington, D.C.. She met Rudy Vallee, her first husband, on the radio where she also enjoyed a brief stint as a singer. At age 15, an attack of palsy left her face partially paralyzed. She claimed that it was through facial exercises to overcome the paralysis that she learned the efficacy of facial expression in conveying human emotion, a skill she was renowned for using in her acting.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Jay Thomas was born in Kermit, Texas, to Katherine (Guzzino), a tap-dancing South Louisiana belle of Italian descent, and T. Harry Terrell, Sr., an oil man. Reared in New Orleans, he was always active in sports and performing. He won his first award as emcee of the Jesuit High School talent show. He boxed, wrestled, played football, and ran track. At 16 he started as a stand-up on Bourbon St. He attended Gulf Coast College, University of Tennessee, Vanderbilt University, Central Piedmont College, and Jacksonville University, graduating with an AA, BS, and MA. He became a sports announcer and DJ in college. He also found time to put in three years of small college football as a QB. When NYC beckoned Jay continued his eclectic career as a top rated morning DJ, comic at the Improve in NYC, and began an active off Broadway acting career, that saw him mix drama and comedy. His first TV role was in "Mork and Mindy". Then on to LA radio as the #1 jock at Power 106, The Ensemble Theater Group, and recurring on "Cheers" as Carla's ice hockey playing husband. He won two Emmy awards for portraying Jerry Gold on"Murphy Brown". He starred in his own TV shows "Married People" with Beth Armstrong and "Love and War" with Susan Dey and later Annie Potts. He appeared as a leading guest star in dozens of sitcoms, cop shows, and MOW's opposite Judith Light, John Tuturro, and Christine Lahti. On the big screen he was featured in "Mr. Holland's Opus", "A Smile Like Yours", and "Santa Claus" 2 and 3. Returning to the stage he starred in plays written and directed by Wendy Wasserstein and Woody Allen. Recently he has hosted shows at Carolines in NYC and the Bellagio in Vegas. He guest starred in an episode of "Hung" on HBO. He won the best actor for and was a co-writer of best comedy at the LA iTV Fest for "Talker". And the Jay Thomas talk show airs daily on SiriusXM.- Jeanne Martin was born on 27 March 1927 in Coral Gables, Florida, USA. She was an actress, known for I Love Lucy (1951), The Dean Martin Show (1965) and The Jack Benny Program (1950). She was married to Dean Martin. She died on 24 August 2016 in Beverly Hills, California, USA.
- Juan Carlos Dual was born on 19 February 1933 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was an actor, known for Yago, pasión morena (2001), Los Libonatti (1991) and Son de Fierro (2007). He was married to Diana Maggi. He died on 24 August 2015 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
One of the finest classical and contemporary leading ladies ever to grace the 20th century American stage, five-time Tony Award winner Julie Harris was rather remote and reserved on camera, finding her true glow in front of the theatre lights. The freckled, red-haired actress not only was nominated for a whopping total of ten Tony awards and was a Sarah Siddons Award recipient for her work on the Chicago stage, she also earned awards in other areas of the entertainment industry, including three Emmys (of 11 nominations), a Grammy and an Academy Award nomination. (Note: Harris would hold the record for the most competitive Tony performance wins (five) for a couple of decades. Angela Lansbury finally caught up with her in 2009 and singer/actress Audra McDonald surpassed them both in 2014 with six). While Harris certainly lacked the buoyancy and glamor usually associated with being a movie star, she certainly made an impact in the early to mid 1950s with three iconic leading roles, two of which she resurrected from the Broadway stage. After that she pretty much deserted film.
Born Julie Ann Harris on December 2, 1925, in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, she was the daughter of William Pickett, an investment banker, and Elsie L. (née Smith) Harris, a nurse. Graduating from Grosse Pointe Country Day School, an early interest in the performance arts was encouraged by her family. Moving to New York City, Julie attended The Hewitt School and later trained as a teenager at the Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School & Camp in Colorado. A mentor there, Charlotte Perry, saw great hope for young Julie and was insistent that her protégé study at the Yale School of Drama. Julie did just that -- for about a year.
Also trained at the New York School of Drama and one of the earliest members of the Acting Studio, young Julie made her Broadway debut in 1945 at age 19 in the comedy "It's a Gift". Despite its lukewarm reception, the demure, diminutive (5'3"), and delicate-looking thespian moved on. She apprenticed on Broadway for the next few years with ensemble parts in "King Henry IV, Part II" (1946), "Oedipus Rex" (1946), "The Playboy of the Western World" (1946), "Alice in Wonderland" (as the White Rabbit) (1947), and Macbeth" (1948).
More prominent roles came her way in such short-lived Broadway plays as "Sundown Beach" (1948), "The Young and Fair" (1948), "Magnolia Alley" (1949) and "Montserrat (1949). This led to her star-making theatre role at age 24 as sensitive 12-year-old tomboy Frankie Addams in the classic drama "The Member of the Wedding" (1950) opposite veteran actress Ethel Waters and based on the Carson McCullers novel. The play ran for over a year. The Member of the Wedding (1952) would eventually be transferred to film and, despite being untried talents on film, director Fred Zinnemann wisely included both Harris and young Brandon De Wilde (as young John Henry) to reenact their stage triumphs along with Ms. Waters. Harris, at 27, received her first and only Academy Award nomination as the coming-of-age Georgian tomboy.
It wasn't long before Julie's exceptional range and power won noticed nationwide. In 1952, she received her first "Best Actress" Tony Award for creating the larger-than-life role of Sally Bowles in "I Am a Camera," the stage version of one of Christopher Isherwood's Berlin stories ("Goodbye to Berlin" (1939). (Note: In the 1960s, Isherwood's play would be transformed successfully into the Broadway musical "Cabaret".) Harris again was invited to repeat her stage role in I Am a Camera (1955) with Laurence Harvey and Shelley Winters, winning the BAFTA "Best Foreign Actress" Award. That same year Harris starred opposite the highly emotive James Dean (she had top billing) as his love interest in the classic film East of Eden (1955), directed by Elia Kazan from the John Steinbeck novel. Strangely, Julie's brilliance in the role of Abra was completely overlooked come Oscar time...a terrible miscarriage of justice in this author's view.
After this vivid film exposure, Julie's love for the theatre completely dominated her career focus. She continued to increase her Broadway prestige with such plays as "Mademoiselle Colombe" (title role) (1954), "The Lark" (Tony Award: as Joan of Arc) (1955), "The Country Wife" (1957), "The Warm Peninsula" (1959), "Little Moon Over Alban" (1960) (which she took to Emmy-winning TV), "A Shot in the Dark" (1961), "Ready When Your Are, C.B.!" (1964), "Skyscraper" (1965), "Forty Carats" (Tony Award) (1968), "And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little" ) (1971), "The Au Pair Man" (1973) and "In Praise of Love" (1974). In between she gave stellar performances on TV with her Joan of Arc in The Lark (1957); title role in Johnny Belinda (1958); Nora in Ibsen's A Doll's House (1959); Catherine Sloper in The Heiress (1961); title role in Victoria Regina (1961) (for which received an Emmy award); Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion (1963), and title role in Anastasia (1967).Be
In later years Harris reaped praises and honors for her awe-inspiring one-woman touring shows based on the lives of certain distaff historical figureheads. Her magnificently tormented, Tony-winning "First Lady" Mary Lincoln in "The Last of Mrs. Lincoln" (1972) was the first to be seen on stage and TV, followed by another Tony (and Grammy) Award-winning performance as poetess Emily Dickinson in "The Belle of Amherst" (1976) (directed by close friend Charles Nelson Reilly, as well as her early 1980s solo portrait of author Charlotte Brontë in "Bronte," which started out as a radio play. Julie was now placed among the theatre's luminous "ruling class" alongside legendary veterans Helen Hayes, Katharine Cornell and Judith Anderson.
As time wore on, Harris would become equally respected on film and TV for her portrayals of over-the-edge neurotics, wallflowers and eccentric maiden aunt types as witnessed by her co-starring roles in the films The Haunting (1963), Hamlet (1964) (as Ophelia), Harper (1966), You're a Big Boy Now (1966), Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967), The Bell Jar (1979), and the TV-movies How Awful About Allan (1970) and Home for the Holidays (1972). Perhaps a step down performance wise, the veteran actress, after a period of ill health, became a household name with her regular series work as Lilimae on the TV soap Knots Landing (1979).
At age 60, Harris continued to impress on Broadway with her 1990's versions of Amanda Wingfield in "The Glass Menagerie" and Fonsia Dorsey in "The Gin Game" for which she received her tenth and final Tony nomination. She also toured successfully with a production of "Lettice and Lovage". Unlike many other actors whose film roles disintegrated with appearances in bottom-of-the-barrel lowbudgets, Julie's final two supporting films roles were in two nicely constructed period romantic comedies -- The Golden Boys (2008) and The Lightkeepers (2009).
Ill health dogged Julie's later years (she battled breast cancer in 1981 and suffered two strokes -- one in 2001 (while performing in the Chicago play "Fossils") and again in 2010). Nevertheless, she continued to work almost until the end, including narrating five historical documentaries and giving Emmy-winning voice to such women suffragettes as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
Married and divorced three times, Julie had one son by her second marriage -- Peter, who became a theatre critic. She also spent time enjoying the benefits of receiving special awards and honors for her full body of work. Among these, she was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 1979, was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1994, received a "Special Lifetime Achievement" Tony Award in 2002 and was a 2005 Kennedy Center honoree.
Harris died on August 24, 2013, of congestive heart failure at her home in West Chatham, Massachusetts. She was 87.- Director
- Writer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Coming from a lower class family Mizoguchi entered the production company Nikkatsu as an actor specialized in female roles. Later he became an assistant director and made his first film in 1922. Although he filmed almost 90 movies in the silent era, only his last 12 productions are really known outside of Japan because they were especially produced for Venice (e.g The Life of Oharu (1952) or Sansho the Bailiff (1954). He only filmed two productions in color: Yôkihi (1955) and Taira Clan Saga (1955).- Actor
- Soundtrack
Leonard Frey originally wanted to become an artist, but in college he became interested in acting. He made his stage debut in an off-Broadway production of "Little Mary Sunshine" and his film debut as a celebrant in Passages from James Joyce's Finnegans Wake (1966), but he first rose to prominence in the role of Harold, the self-proclaimed "Jew fairy", in both the stage and screen versions of The Boys in the Band (1970). Frey is probably best known for the role of Motel, the timid tailor, in Fiddler on the Roof (1971); this performance landed him a nomination for a Supporting Actor Oscar. He continued to work on stage, in films and on TV throughout the 1970s and 1980s, but he never again attained the level of critical success he enjoyed in "Fiddler on the Roof". In 1988 he died from complications related to AIDS.- Actor
- Music Department
- Composer
Born in New Orleans' French Quarter, Louis Prima longed to play jazz. When he was a child, he studied the violin. His older brother Leon took up trumpet while Louis was still quite young, and he soon followed in his brother's footsteps. He played in clubs like "The Famous Door" in the 1930s, and by the time the 1940s rolled around, Prima and his band were becoming well known. Like many other big bands, Prima always had a woman singer, his most famous being Keely Smith, with whom he recorded the classic "That Old Black Magic". She began with him when she was 16 years old, and he eventually married her. They were divorced in 1962, and he married 20-year-old Gia Maione that same year. In 1967 Prima voiced King Louie of the apes in the animated Disney feature The Jungle Book (1967). Prima died in 1978, but his music continues as some of the best jazz and swing music ever recorded.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Diminutive, blond character comedienne whose strident voice and nervy manner made her the perfect foil to Lucille Ball's madcap antics on TV, at first, occasionally, on I Love Lucy (1951) (as "Betty Ramsay" and "Evelyn Bigsby"), then on a regular basis on The Lucy Show (1962) and Here's Lucy (1968) (as "Mary Jane Lewis"). Mary Jane started her show business career on the stage with the civic theatre in her hometown, Muncie, Indiana. After briefly acting with the Guild Theatre in Cincinnati, Ohio, she joined the local radio station WLW and embarked on a lengthy career as a radio actress. Her marriage to fellow actor Jack Zoller was followed by a move to Los Angeles in 1939.
During the 1940's and 1950's, Mary Jane became one of a company of much in-demand voice actresses (along with performers Lurene Tuttle, Howard Duff and Bea Benaderet, whom she befriended), comedy inevitably being her forte. She acted on "The Mel Blanc Show" (1946), as the love interest "Leila Ransom" on "The Great Gildersleeve" (1950), "Blondie" (1950), "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" (1950), the family friend on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952), and the voice of basset hound "Cleo", owned by Jackie Cooper, on The People's Choice (1955) (1955-56). Her best-known pre-Lucille role was as "Daisy Enright", the nemesis of "Our Miss Brooks", which starred Eve Arden and Gale Gordon (both on radio and, subsequently, on TV). Mary Jane re-enacted the part for three seasons in the television series, produced by Desilu.
In 1960, Mary Jane got married for the second time, using her newly married name for her character on The Lucy Show (1962), produced by new hubby Elliott Lewis. By 1965, Mary Jane had replaced Vivian Vance, who retired from the show, as Lucy's neighbor. For most TV audiences, Mary Jane will be fondly remembered as Lucy's cheerful ally and confidante in their various joint endeavors at setting up pompous banker Mr. Mooney (Gale Gordon). Despite other changes in the cast, Mary Jane's role carried over into the next incarnation of the Desilu franchise, Here's Lucy (1968).
After her death in August 1999, Lucie Arnaz eulogized her mother's friend Mary Jane, as being the antithesis of the dizzy blonde she portrayed on screen and as a fun-loving and joyous spirit.- Mitchell Lewis was born on 26 June 1880 in Syracuse, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925), Salomé (1922) and The Mutiny of the Elsinore (1920). He was married to Rosabel Morrison and Nan Frances Ryan. He died on 24 August 1956 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
From mill girl to film star was the real life story of Bradford born Pat Paterson. A former Laidler Sunbeam and stage struck she left Lister's Mill office at 15 to join a touring show, After doing cabaret work in London she was seen by an agent for Fox Films and given a part in the British film The Right to Live, A five year contract with Fox followed and in America she met and married French star Charles Boyer. After making 5 films she left the business. Her marriage was a very happy one and when she died in 1978 Charles died just a few days later reputedly of as broken heart,- Pete Roberts was born on 15 January 1938 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. Pete was married to Katherine "Kitsy", Marion Cain and Ann Lane. Pete died on 24 August 2017 in Warrenton, Virginia, USA.Pete Kuykendall
- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Richard Attenborough, Baron Attenborough of Richmond-upon-Thames, was born in Cambridge, England, the son of Mary (née Clegg), a founding member of the Marriage Guidance Council, and Frederick Levi Attenborough, a scholar and academic administrator who was a don at Emmanuel College and wrote a standard text on Anglo-Saxon law. The family later moved to Leicester where his father was appointed Principal of the university while Richard was educated at Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys in Leicester and at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA).
His film career began with a role as a deserting sailor in In Which We Serve (1942), a part that contributed to his being typecast for many years as a coward in films like Dulcimer Street (1948), Operation Disaster (1950) and his breakthrough role as a psychopathic young gangster in the film adaptation of Graham Greene's novel, Brighton Rock (1948). During World War II, Attenborough served in the Royal Air Force.
He worked prolifically in British films for the next 30 years, and in the 1950s appeared in several successful comedies for John Boulting and Roy Boulting, including Private's Progress (1956) and I'm All Right Jack (1959). Early in his stage career, Attenborough starred in the London West End production of Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap", which went on to become one of the world's longest-running stage productions. Both he and his wife were among the original cast members of the production, which opened in 1952 and (as of 2007) is still running.
In the 1960s, he expanded his range of character roles in films such as Seance on a Wet Afternoon (1964) and Guns at Batasi (1964), for which he won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of the regimental Sergeant Major. He appeared in the ensemble cast of The Great Escape (1963), as Squadron Leader "Roger Bartlett" ("Big X"), the head of the escape committee.
In 1967 and 1968, he won back-to-back Golden Globe Awards in the category of Best Supporting Actor, the first time for The Sand Pebbles (1966), starring Steve McQueen, and the second time for Doctor Dolittle (1967), starring Rex Harrison. He would win another Golden Globe for Best Director, for Gandhi (1982), in 1983. Six years prior to "Gandhi", he played the ruthless "Gen. Outram" in Indian director Satyajit Ray's period piece, The Chess Players (1977). He has never been nominated for an Academy Award in an acting category.
He took no acting roles following his appearance in Otto Preminger's The Human Factor (1979), until his appearance as the eccentric developer "John Hammond" in Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park (1993). The following year, he starred as "Kris Kringle" in Miracle on 34th Street (1994), a remake of the 1947 classic. Since then, he has made occasional appearances in supporting roles, including the historical drama, Elizabeth (1998), as "Sir William Cecil".
In the late 1950s, Attenborough formed a production company, "Beaver Films", with Bryan Forbes and began to build a profile as a producer on projects, including The League of Gentlemen (1960), The Angry Silence (1960) and Whistle Down the Wind (1961), also appearing in the first two of these as an actor.
His feature film directorial debut was the all-star screen version of the hit musical, Oh! What a Lovely War (1969), and his acting appearances became more sporadic - the most notable being his portrayal of serial killer "John Christie" in 10 Rillington Place (1971). He later directed two epic period films: Young Winston (1972), based on the early life of Winston Churchill, and A Bridge Too Far (1977), an all-star account of Operation Market Garden in World War II. He won the 1982 Academy Award for Directing for his historical epic, Gandhi (1982), a project he had been attempting to get made for many years. As the film's producer, he also won the Academy Award for Best Picture. His most recent films, as director and producer, include Chaplin (1992), starring Robert Downey Jr. as Charles Chaplin, and Shadowlands (1993), based on the relationship between C.S. Lewis and Joy Gresham. Both films starred Anthony Hopkins, who also appeared in three other films for Attenborough: "Young Winston", "A Bridge Too Far" and the thriller, Magic (1978).
Attenborough also directed the screen version of the hit Broadway musical, "A Chorus Line" (A Chorus Line (1985)), and the apartheid drama, Cry Freedom (1987), based on the experiences of Donald Woods. He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Director for both films. His most recent film as director was another biographical film, Grey Owl (1999), starring Pierce Brosnan.
Attenborough is the President of RADA, Chairman of Capital Radio, President of BAFTA, President of the Gandhi Foundation, and President of the British National Film and Television School. He is also a vice patron of the Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund.
He is also the patron of the UWC movement (United World Colleges), whereby he continually contributes greatly to the colleges that are part of the organization. He has frequented the United World College of Southern Africa(UWCSA) Waterford Kamhlaba. His wife and he founded the "Richard and Sheila Attenborough Visual Arts Center". He also founded the "Jane Holland Creative Center for Learning" at Waterford Kamhlaba in Swaziland in memory of his daughter, who died in the Tsunami on Boxing Day, 2004. He passionately believes in education, primarily education that does not judge upon color, race, creed or religion. His attachment to Waterford is his passion for non-racial education, which were the grounds on which Waterford Kamhlaba was founded. Waterford was one of his inspirations for directing Cry Freedom (1987), based on the life of Steve Biko.
He was elected to the post of Chancellor of the University of Sussex on 20 March 1998, replacing the Duke of Richmond and Gordon. A lifelong supporter of Chelsea Football Club, Attenborough served as a director of the club from 1969-1982 and, since 1993, has held the honorary position of Life Vice President. He is also the head of the consortium, "Dragon International", which is constructing a film and television studio complex in Llanilid, Wales, often referred to as "Valleywood".
In 1967, he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). He was knighted in 1976 and, in 1993, he was made a life peer as Baron Attenborough, of Richmond-upon-Thames in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.
On 13 July 2006, Attenborough and his brother, David Attenborough, were awarded the titles of Distinguished Honorary Fellows of the University of Leicester "in recognition of a record of continuing distinguished service to the University". Lord Attenborough is also listed as an Honorary Fellow of Bangor University for his continued efforts to film making.
Attenborough has been married to English actress Sheila Sim, since 1945. They had three children. In December 2004, his elder daughter, Jane Holland, as well as her daughter Lucy and her mother-in-law, also named Jane, were killed in the tsunami caused by the Indian Ocean earthquake. A memorial service was held on 8 March 2005, and Attenborough read a lesson at the national memorial service on 11 May 2005. His grandson, Samuel Holland, and granddaughter, Alice Holland, also read in the service.
Attenborough's father was principal of University College, Leicester, now the city's university. This has resulted in a long association with the university, with Lord Attenborough a patron. A commemorative plaque was placed on the floor of Richmond Parish Church. The university's "Richard Attenborough Centre for Disability and the Arts", which opened in 1997, is named in his Honor.
His son, Michael Attenborough, is also a director. He has two younger brothers, the famous naturalist Sir David Attenborough and John Attenborough, who has made a career in the motor trade.
He has collected Pablo Picasso ceramics since the 1950s. More than 100 items went on display at the New Walk Museum and Art Gallery in Leicester in 2007; the exhibition is dedicated to his family members lost in the tsunami.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Rickie Sorensen was born on 26 August 1946 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for The Sword in the Stone (1963), Man of a Thousand Faces (1957) and Airport '77 (1977). He was married to Marianne Rubacha. He died on 24 August 1994 in Lynwood, California, USA.- Writer
- Director
- Animation Department
Satoshi Kon was born in 1963. He studied at the Musashino College of the Arts. He began his career as a Manga artist. He then moved to animation and worked as a background artist on many films (including Roujin Z (1991) by 'Katsuhiro Otomo'). Then, in 1995, he wrote an episode of the anthology film Memories (1995) (this Episode was "Magnetic Rose"). In 1997, he directed his first feature film: the excellent Perfect Blue (1997). In 2001, he finished work on his second feature film, Millennium Actress (2001) (aka Millennium Actress).- Stanley Morgan was born on 10 November 1929 in Liverpool, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Return of Mr. Moto (1965), The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre (1959) and Konga (1961). He was married to Linda. He died on 24 August 2018.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Steve Franken was born on 27 May 1932 in Queens, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Westworld (1973), The Party (1968) and The Time Travelers (1964). He was married to Jean Garrett and Julia Elizabeth Carter. He died on 24 August 2012 in Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California, USA.- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Additional Crew
Tom Frost was one of the pioneering climbers and photographers during the Golden Age of Yosemite climbing. Born in 1937 in Hollywood, Frost graduated from Stanford University in 1958, the same year he first visited Yosemite Valley; the huge unclimbed granite big walls would prove formative to Frost's personal evolution as he, along with the likes of Royal Robbins, Chuck Pratt and Yvon Chouinard, soon came to embody the golden age of Yosemite climbing.
The impeccable style of ascent of the El Capitain Salathé Wall signaled the end to the era of siege climbing and is rightly considered one of Frost's masterpieces and an all-time monument to free climbing. Setting the standard for future generations, Frost, Chuck Pratt and Royal Robbins forged El Capitan's second route over nine and a half days, with ropes fixed on only the lower third before launching into the huge unknown. Notably, the trio placed a mere 13 expansion bolts, in response to the 125 used during the 47-day first ascent. Frost's advocacy for clean ethics and style has been even more influential and far-reaching.
Frost's images from these ascents, shot with his Leica camera, are some of the most important and recognizable in American climbing history. Frost partnered his engineering skills with those of Yvon Chouinard to help invent fundamental new climbing gear such as RURPS and Hexentrics. During the 1960s and '70s Frost applied his engineering and design skills with Chouinard at Great Pacific Ironworks, the precursor to Patagonia. He invented the postage stamp sized piton called a RURP, and he designed the stoppers and hexes that came out in the groundbreaking 1972 Chouinard Cataloge. In 1980, he and his then-wife Dorene became founders of Chimera, which made cutting-edge lighting fixtures for the film and photography industry.
The two famed American climbers, alpinist Jeff Lowe and Yosemite National Park stalwart Tom Frost, died on the same day, August 24 2018. Lowe and Frost made climbs together as part of expeditions to the Himalayas.- Director
- Actor
- Writer
Uri Katzenstein was a director and actor, known for Anna's Assignment (2017), The Hyenas (2018) and The Liquid of Life (2008). He died on 24 August 2018 in Tel Aviv, Israel.- Yootha was a student at RADA where all ,her tutors said that she had no talent and suggested that she try a different career. Despite this she started in repertory theatres where she swept the stage , made tea and took what small roles she could get, In 1960 she was with Theatre Workshop Co in ;'Fings Ain't What They Used to be', Eventually she was cast in the comedy television series Man About the House which led to the break away series George and Mildred, both with Brian Murphy as her husband,
- British actress Zena Walker would become better known for her output of theatre work than film. Born on March 7, 1934, in Birmingham, she was the daughter of George Walker, a grocer, and wife Elizabeth Louise (Hammond). A sensuous, graceful, dusky-voiced presence, she was educated at St. Martin's School and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. She turned down a film contract by Alexander Korda at this time in favor of additional training.
Zena made her professional stage debut in Birmingham in 1950 in a walk-on part in "Smooth-Faced Gentleman". From there, she played a number of lovely Shakespearean femmes in repertory at the Stratford and the Old Vic, including "Miranda" in "The Tempest" (1952), "Juliet" in "Romeo and Juliet" (1954), "Katharine" in "Henry V" (1955) and "Perdita" in "The Winter's Tale" (1955).
Following occasional TV work in the late 1950s, she entered 1960s films with little fanfare although she did meet and subsequently marry her first husband, actor Robert Urquhart, while making Danger Tomorrow (1960). She had a tendency to be a prime emoter in quickie little "B" crimers and while her film work in Snowball (1960), The Hellions (1961), Emergency (1962) and The Model Murder Case (1963) and Daylight Robbery (1964) was commendable, it certainly did not advance her career.
She returned to the theater after some time to raise a child and impressed in a number of classical roles including "Man and Superman", "The Cherry Orchard", "The Fighting Cock" and as "Lady MacDuff" in "Macbeth". In 1967, she was critically lauded for her role as "Sheila", the mother of a handicapped child, in the black comedy "A Day in the Death of Joe Egg", which she took to Broadway and earned the Tony award for "featured actress" opposite Albert Finney.
Noted earlier for her ethereal beauty, she later earned respect for the vulnerability, maturity and emotional depth of her matronly roles. Neglected for the most part in films, she found more prolific work on TV, notably the series Man at the Top (1970). One of her last roles was an episode of Rosemary & Thyme (2003) in 2003.
Zena died on August 23, 2003 in Brockenhurst, Hampshire at age 69. Following her divorce to Urquhart, she married and divorced actor Julian Holloway, who was the son of "My Fair Lady" actor Stanley Holloway, and then theatrical agent John French. She had two children by her first marriage; her son tragically died while in his teens. Like other British stage notables, she was sinfully wasted in films. She could have easily pulled off a remarkable senior career (i.e., Judi Dench) had the opportunity appeared.